


Campbell Psychiatric Institution

by orphan_account



Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: Eating Disorders, F/M, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Mental Institutions, Self-Harm, Slow To Update, Suicide Attempt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2019-12-28
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:07:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 3,473
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21948553
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Max is sent to Campbell Psychiatric Institution.
Relationships: David/Gwen (Camp Camp), Preston Goodplay/Max
Comments: 7
Kudos: 68





	1. Happy

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Camp Camp Mental Hospital AU](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12608580) by [Kuhma](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kuhma/pseuds/Kuhma). 



> I'm just very inspired by Kuhma's story with this concept.  
> I will change it up though.
> 
> I don't want to make light of mental illness or make it seem scary.  
> I've never been to a mental hospital either.  
> God knows my research doesn't count as a visit.  
> A lot of the thoughts that Max has are thoughts that I usually have.
> 
> So, if I write something possibly offensive or incorrect, let me know.

The warmth from his bear had disappeared a long time ago.

It was nearly the same time that the light in his mother's eyes snuffed.

Max knew why.

Maybe, that was why he did what he did. His mother's wails still reverberated through his head. When he woke up under thin covers, she held him. She cried at him, and he felt guilty.

They escorted her out when she began to shriek.

Max unintentionally brought his hand to his neck. He felt the bandages. They were uncomfortably tight. The man sitting with Max, James, watched as he did so.

They were in a cramped ambulance. It was chilly. Max nearly asked for more heat.

He didn't.

James seemed to have questions. Max glanced at him. People often said Max's eyes held his internal feelings. James spoke softly as not to alert the driver.

"Why'd you do it? You are ten years old. A child."

"Why'd you become a paramedic?" James sent Max a puzzled stare. He replied tenderly, "It made me happy."

"It made me happy."

James stopped talking. Max didn't mind the change.

The rest of the drive had no more troublesome questions. Max concluded that'd have to wait until therapy.

The ambulance stopped somewhere. Max didn't care. James muttered to the driver. Max put his bear into his bag. All he had were some clothes and a toothbrush.

The driver got out of the vehicle and opened the doors. James climbed out and extended his hand to Max. 

Max overlooked his hand.

Once Max was out, James walked him to the doors. James buzzed himself inside. The lobby was barren. There was a receptionist's desk. An irritated man sat behind it. James pointed to some chairs, "How about you go sit down?" Max obeyed.

As he waited, Max thought about nothing in particular. His neck began to itch. He scowled because he couldn't scratch it.

James abruptly appeared in front of Max. He looked up curiously. James pointed to Max's shoes, "They need your shoes." Max couldn't help the grin that appeared.

"Why?"

James stared at Max's smirk, and then he furrowed his brows, "I think you know why." Max laughed humorlessly and kicked off his shoes. James took them to the front desk. He returned with slippers. Max put them on.

A door clicked. Max looked up at the source.

It was a man, shining with delight. He wore scrubs and an identification badge. His sunken cheeks had freckles. His eyes didn't shine like his smile. He had red hair, standing at awkward angles.

Max felt nauseous looking at him.

"Max! Welcome to Campbell Psychiatric Institution! We're so happy to have you!"


	2. One-Thirty-Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max gets settled into his new room.

The red-haired man shook James' hand. The man then introduced himself to Max, "My name is David. I'm going to be your nurse!" Max stood up from the chair and held his bag close to his body.

"Okay."

After James left, David led Max to some stairs. They were locked up tightly.

Max knew why.

They went up two flights, and David entered a hallway. He buzzed into locked double doors. They opened, and David ushered Max through. The doors shut automatically behind them.

Max couldn't help but feel trapped. There were many locks. Many places he could be shoved into and forgotten.

David led Max to a tidy room. The number read one-thirty-eight. 

"Can I have your bag?"

Max stared at David. The two held the gaze for a minute longer before Max glared.

"I don't have anything... dangerous."

David smiled softly, "I don't think you do. So, it shouldn't be an issue to give me the bag." Max scoffed and shoved the bag into David's gut.

David pointed to an outfit on the bed, "Also, could you put that on and give me the clothes you are wearing?" Max groaned, "Whatever, turn around or something." David left the room.

Max did as David asked. He knocked on the door when he finished. David opened the door and smiled, "Thank you." He took the clothes and put them into the bag.

David nodded to the bed, "If you would like to take a nap, I'll wake you up in about four hours." Max blinked, "What time is it?" David laughed softly, "It's eight in the morning." Max looked at his feet, "Oh. Okay." David laughed, "Or you could come to eat breakfast with us."

Max grimaced, "I'll sleep." David left Max alone.

Max collapsed on his bed, but he wasn't tired.

That was his last thought, too, before he fell asleep.


	3. Ensure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max meets Ered.

Max woke up to a buzzing sound. He heard his door click.

He got up and walked to the door. He teased the handle. It opened when he pushed.

He glanced in the hallway. It was empty. Max shut his door, unsure of what to do.

After a few minutes, somebody knocked on his door. He opened it for them. David stood there, smiling, "It's lunchtime." His smile seemed forced.

Max knew why.

David led Max to a large room. It had circular tables. Kids were sitting together in a kind of disorganized seating chart.

David sat Max down at an empty table. He felt isolated and somewhat embarrassed.

That embarrassment only grew when David sat next to him.

A woman came to their table. She had brown hair, with a red hue and inexplicably deep blue eyes. They looked violet. Her identification badge read, Gwen.

She pointed over her shoulder, "Ered is hiding." David frowned, "Okay, could you watch Max?" Gwen nodded and sat down next to Max. 

David left.

Max stared at Gwen. She offered a meek smile. Gwen tried to make conversation, "I'm Gwen." Max put his head down on the table.

He wasn't interested.

He heard Gwen sigh, annoyed. He felt his heartbeat in his chest. He heard Gwen yell from above him, "Nikki, do not bite him!" He felt the table move as Gwen sprang up.

Max kept his head down. Eventually, the table moved from somebody sitting down.

It wasn't Gwen. So, Max looked up.

It was a girl. Her hair was in a bun. Her hair was blonde, with a pink dye that was fading. She blinked her blue eyes at Max. It was at this moment that Max realized that she was emaciated.

Her cheeks were nonexistent. Max could tell, even though her baggy shirt, that her shoulder bones were popping out unhealthily.

Max realized that he shouldn't be here. She looked like she realized he shouldn't be here either.

David took a seat next to Max, and Gwen sat down next to the girl. Max remembered her name, Ered.

David put his hand on Max's shoulder, "Ered, this is Max. He's our newest friend!" Max shrugged David's shoulder off. Ered eyed Max, "I'm Ered."

Max averted his eyes. He didn't want to look at her empty pupils' any longer.

"Okay."

Max heard a door open. He turned to look behind him. Other patients got in line to eat. He looked at David, confused.

David nodded to the door, "Go over there and get some food, then come back here and eat."

Max got up and was the last in line. Other than Ered. He looked over at her. She was talking with Gwen.

Max went through the line and got the bare minimum. He didn't find the food appealing.

When he finally got out of line, he went back to David's side. Ered and Gwen got up and went to the line together. They came back with a drink and a full tray.

The drink was called Ensure.

Max ate slow, but it was nothing compared to the way Ered ate. She'd grab one piece of lettuce, nibble it, and put it down.

When a kid finished, they'd go to what David called the lounge. Max wasn't hungry. It seemed like the more he ate, the more his body wanted to reject the food.

He resorted to watching Ered's unusual method of eating. When Gwen told her to eat an entire cracker, she nearly cried. Ered was becoming more stressed. Max could see it in her face. 

Her cheeks got red. She sobbed out, "I can't, please! Please don't make me eat it!" Gwen rubbed Ered's back, "Ered, you have been doing so good, just one cracker."

Ered grabbed her tray in a fit of rage. She threw it onto the floor, "No!"

Max is ashamed to admit he flinched at the noise.

Ered pointed at Max, "Make him eat! He's been sitting there watching me! Watching the calories push into my stomach!" David sighed, "Ered..."

Max scooped up some soup from his bowl. He stuck the spoon in his mouth and ate it. All while staring at Ered. He dropped the spoon onto the tray, "Can I leave?"

David looked at Max's tray. There wasn't much left. 

But there wasn't much in the beginning.

David sighed, "Can you eat the rest of those crackers?" Max ate the crackers. Ered was sitting down across from him. She was negotiating something with Gwen.

"I don't want a tube in my nose."

"I don't want to put a tube in your nose."

Ered began to cry, hard. She put her head down on the table. David helped Max throw away the uneaten food on his tray. Max eyed the mess of food.

David led him to a room, the lounge. He rubbed Max's back, "Find something to do in here. If you need anything, ask the guard."

David left in a hurry.


	4. Max Doesn't Know

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max and Preston talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if Preston is OOC, I literally never write his character.

Max fought the urge to run for his room. The guard kept dozing off.

Every child in the room was catatonic. They stared off into space, blabbered to themselves, played hopscotch with people who weren't there.

Max sat down on a recliner by the television.

Max was becoming restless. He watched as a boy bounced his leg irrhythmically. 

The boy in question had his long brown hair done in a half-up, half-down style. The boys' eyes were amber. He had a yellow shirt and a green cardigan. Max began to notice a trend of yellow.

Max didn't realize what was happening until it happened. He stared at his hand on the boy's knee.

Max pulled away. An outsider would've thought he got burned.

The boy stared at Max.

"Was the bouncing annoying you?"

Max looked up, "Oh, no. I don't know why I did that."

Max didn't know. For once, he couldn't begin to understand what happened.

The boy smiled softly, "My name is Preston. You're new." Max wondered if he was trying to get a name.

"Yeah."

"What's your name?"

"Max."

Preston studied Max, "Why are you here?" Max shrugged. Preston hummed softly, "I think you know. You're just not ready to tell." Max grimaced, "I do know. I don't see why it's your business to know why I'm here."

Preston gulped, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to push. I'm like Pearl from The Scarlett Letter. How embarrassing." Max didn't respond to Preston.

Preston put his hand on Max's, "Hey, can I tell you something?" Max pulled his hand away, "What?"

Preston chewed on his lips. Max took note of how Preston's lips had self-mutilation all over them.

"Why I'm here?"

Max stared at Preston, "Why?" Preston looked away, "Well, I can't talk to anybody else about things like this. They don't understand." Max furrowed his brows, "Why do you think I'd understand?"

Preston looked at Max. He smirked, "I see the bandages on your neck, even with that turtleneck. I never overlook anything." Max pulled on the turtleneck. Preston's smirk dropped, "I know whatever you did under those bandages were because of that voice. The one in your head that isn't yours."

Max frowned, "I don't have one of those." Preston nearly jumped from his seat, "You do!" Max flinched.

Preston froze.

Max felt humiliated.

The sudden rush of sympathy in Preston's eyes made Max get up from his seat.

"I don't understand you. I don't think I want to understand you."


	5. Jealousy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max, Nikki, and Neil have group therapy.

Max spent around ten minutes sitting by himself with his head laying on a table. When he heard Gwen's voice call out a selection of names, he sat up.

"Preston and Nurf, come with me, please."

Preston passed Max. They made eye contact, Preston looked apologetic.

Max put his head back down.

His moment of peace didn't last very long, as David called out a few names as well.

"Max, Neil, and Nikki, please come with me."

Max walked to David. He adjusted his turtleneck. Another boy with unruly brown hair and blue eyes shyly stood next to Max. A girl, her hair an unnatural teal, came bouncing to David. Her eyes, oddly enough, looked pink.

David smiled at the three and led them to a room decorated with bookshelves. Max noticed a couch sitting across from a recliner. The three children sat down on the couch. David sat in the recliner.

David smiled at the three, "How are we today?"

Nikki responded with a grin, "Great!"

Neil spoke softly, "I'm good."

Max shrugged.

David looked to Nikki, "What was great about today?"

Nikki laughed loudly, "Well, I have not gotten in trouble once! Isn't that new? But it feels kind of good."

David smiled, "Yes! We're all proud of you, Nikki!"

David looked gently at Neil, "What made your day good, Neil?"

Neil played with a hole in the couch. He mumbled softly, "Don't know."

Nikki leaned over Max, "Neil, I just realized I've never heard you talk this much!"

Max glared at Nikki. Neil's cheeks turned red. He brought his hands to his face. David seemed troubled, but he smiled, "Neil, that is good. You're getting better with others your age!" Neil nodded behind his hands.

David looked at Max, "How are you, Max?"

Max shrugged, again.

David smiled nervously, "What was the best part of today?"

Max began to glare, "I don't know."

Nikki laughed, "You have to have one part of the day that is good."

David smiled at Nikki, "Well, Nikki, that's not always true. Sometimes, we have bad days. It seems like Max had a bad day. What has got you in such a mood, Max?"

Max raised his eyebrows, "Probably the fact I have to do this." Max glowered at David, "I'd kill to go home."

Nikki scoffed, "I know, right?"

Neil seemed to shake his head.

David chewed on his lip. He looked at Nikki, "What is good about home for you, Nikki?"

She grinned, "My mom doesn't care what I do! No rules. All those men she brings over are gross, but she will let me steal from them! I get so much loot."

Max and Neil both looked at Nikki as if she were an alien.

David nodded slowly, "Well, you should put rules in place for yourself. You know, stealing is bad. You've gotten in trouble for it plenty of times here."

Nikki rolled her eyes and slumped, "I know, you tell me that all the time."

David looked at Neil, "Can you tell me what you like about your home, Neil?"

Neil shook his head, "I don't like it."

David spoke softly, "Would you like to share why?"

Neil's hands reached his ears, "It's loud."

David nodded, "Good job, Neil. I'm proud of you for sharing."

Neil's cheeks reddened again.

David looked at Max, "Why do you like your home, Max?"

Max sighed, "I don't know. It's home."

David nodded, "Could you elaborate?"

Max groaned, "I can eat and sleep there."

David smiled softly, "How about your parents?"

Max stared at David, "They're great." David beamed, "Would you share with Nikki and Neil how your parents treat you and each other?"

Max wasn't sure what to say.

"They, uh, they kiss. When my dad goes to work, they kiss each other goodbye. They say, 'I love you,' a lot. They don't complain or fight. My mom takes me to school. When I'm upset, my dad will take me out to get something special."

Max shrugged, "Stuff like that, I guess."

David smiled, "That's very nice."

Neil nodded, "It is."

Nikki shrugged, "My mom and dad have broken up like seven times. But my dad had something come up. Now I don't see him anymore. But my mom does tell me she loves me, and she takes me to school. So we're not that different!"

Max nodded, "Yeah."

Neil spoke quietly, "My parent's fight. Ever since I was a baby, they'd fight. My dad walks out on us all the time. But, thinking about it, they do love me. When dad leaves, mom likes to take me to the local museum. When my mom locks my dad out of their room, he likes to sit with me and talk to me. He tells me it's not my fault."

Max felt something in his chest. A familiar feeling.

Jealousy.

David smiled wide at the three children. It was as if they cured cancer, "I'm so proud of you three. You're all very brave for sharing. Thank you, Max, for showing Nikki and Neil what love looks like from an outside perspective."

David clapped, "Nikki, Neil, the guard outside will take you back to the lounge."

Max frowned, "What about me?"

David smiled, "We're going to have some one-on-one time."


	6. Sterile Needles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max and David talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure if this is triggering but he goes to the infirmary and they look at his neck.  
> I'm also not sure if I've made it clear that he tried to hang himself.

"How are your parents, Max?"

Max crossed his arms, "I already said, didn't I?" David nodded, "But I'm worried that you perhaps weren't being entirely honest." Max scoffed, "Really?"

David nodded.

Max pulled his turtleneck down, "They're loving. My mom freaked out when she found me. She was terrified she'd lose me. If that doesn't signify a loving parent, I don't know what does."

David nodded, "I understand what your saying. But if something is happening in your home that shouldn't be, I-"

Max groaned, "You what, David? Nothing is happening! I don't know how much more clear I can be with this."

David inhaled deeply, "The report on your physical health I received was worrying."

Max stared at David, "What?"

David spoke lowly, "At the hospital, you did a physical. I received the file. The marks they noted on your body, your weight, everything points to something more happening."

Max glared at David, "The marks? I'm a child, is it unacceptable for me to get bruises and scrapes? My family isn't well off. Food isn't something I get every day. All that points to is a clumsy kid who lives in poverty. Get your head out of your ass."

David spoke softly, "How are your parents?"

Max covered his face and groaned, annoyed.

"My neck hurts, is there a nurse or something?"

David looked troubled, "Max?"

"What?"

David was quiet.

"What, David?"

"I'll take you to the nurse."

Max looked at David, a bit surprised at the lack of pushing. David kept to his word and brought Max to a sterile room. A woman sat in a chair.

She looked up and smiled, "Hello, David."

David smiled, "Hi, this is Max, he says his neck hurts." She nodded, "Okay, Max, let me take a look."

Max walked to the nurse. She looked at the bandages. She felt around his neck gently, "Does this bother you?"

Max shrugged, "It's just an ache. Like, all around."

She nodded, "Okay, David, could I get you to leave the room? I'll bring him right back to you once I see what's going on."

Her badge said, Darla.

She had Max sit down on a bed and take off his turtleneck. She gently removed the bandages.

She stared at his neck, confused.

He guessed his choice of ligature was unusual.

Max stared down at her, "Can I see it?" She leaned back from him, "Um, would you like to?" Max nodded. Darla held a mirror up.

He saw reddened patterns in his skin, burned in from prolonged contact.

His skin was gently ripped from the wires.

He had small holes littered around his neck from broken glass.

"Will it scar?"

"Mmm, not all of it."

"How much will?"

The nurse pointed to a few parts of his neck, "See how strips are keeping this skin together? That will most likely scar, and all of the small holes, they will scar."

The nurse hummed, "I'll need to give you daily check-ups. Replacing bandages and such."

She put some ointment on his cuts and anti-burn cream on the patterns. She replaced his bandages. Max dressed.

She left to call David to the office. The two came back after a few minutes. He took Max to his room, "If you'd like to go back to the infirmary, bathroom, or lounge, feel free."

Max decided to stay in his room. He shut the door and pulled the needle he stole from the nurse's desk out of his pocket. It was still in its sterile package.

He stared at it under the light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't want to spoil anything, so I did notes at the bottom too. It was December when I posted this, so Christmas. The lights got me thinking and I thought it'd be insane if he used Christmas lights to do it. Basically, he used Christmas lights instead of a rope.


End file.
